Kukla's Korner Hockey

Crosby is a terrific player. He is also capable of some hit-and-run behavior of his own. He tripped up Flyers goaltender Martin Biron from behind in the third period, then hid behind teammate Georges Laraque, who took a dive into Biron’s legs a few minutes later.

When things really got out of hand, Crosby was on the bench.

There’s no way to defend all the fighting and foolishness to a non-hockey fan. The NHL has worked hard to steer the game away from the professional wrestling atmosphere and emphasize the skill and the speed that really make the sport fun to watch.

But a night like this has a certain, hard-to-justify appeal to those of us who grew up watching Bobby Clarke and Dave Schultz and Bob Kelly throw their bodies around and their gloves on the ice.